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Originally Posted by Molearner
These discussions of religion and spirituality seem to often digress from any sense of reality. The fact is that, in reality, they can comfortably co-exist. There is a naivete based on the assumption that we live our lives in a transparent and totally honest way without hypocrisy. This is simply not true. People who profess honesty when faced with starvation will steal to survive...they will cheat on their taxes, their spouses, they will praise dictators that they detest, they will declare that all is well when they are in tremendous pain and under great stress. In regards to religion they will belong to churches that dictate no birth control, no abortions and secretly follow neither dictate. None of these aberrations precludes them from having a genuine spirituality. There is no one that is all good just as there is no one that is all evil. People co-exist in bad marriages whether it might be a marriage to an individual, a religion, a relationship, a set of stated beliefs or a particular political party, form of government or a country.
There is a great amount of hypocrisy among advocates of spirituality as opposed to religion. It is this: they wish to make themselves separate from religion and in their next breath tell one that they must be accepting of and charitable to everyone that differs from them.....e.g. Muslims, Jews, Catholics, Protestants, fundamentals, black, white, Democrats, Republicans, rich, poor, the criminal, those that live in ivory towers.....etc. the list in endless. The greatest test, IMO, for anyone that aspires to be spiritual is to not allow themselves to be drawn into a philosophy of separation that seemingly elevates themselves into something that is nothing more than an elevation of their individual egos. And the greatest commandment is this: (you finish the blanks).......:)
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Hi Molearner,
Yes, there is the survival aspect that can come with living. When pressed to keep oneself going, then does any of this really matter? May find comfort or guidance as to how to keep oneself together when faced with dire circumstances, but feel one will do what one has to to survive.
Flip side is there are stories and reflections of one helping another to get through it without asking whether one is this or that. He/she sees someone in need and offers the help.
When something becomes an organization, then would agree there may be elements that are created that form agendas that may stray away from what may benefit the people and into the preservation of the organization.
Perhaps this is the division that gets created in regards to religion/spirituality.
People get fixated upon the ideas, philosophy, and/or theology, IMO. So, although may be inspiring, to understand what these may be alluding to takes more then lip service, IMO.
Through all this, we are still human. With this comes all the aspects of being human while living this life. So, feel these tendacies to unite or divide in a way comes with the territory and perhaps it is figuring out what serves and what does not. Which may be found in many ways, whether religion, spirituality, or just living with neither.
Thank you